In summary, the Game of School (GOS) is what happens when there is compliance yet no engagement in the classroom. It happens when “the artificial and superficial replaces what’s authentic and purposeful in a lesson or classroom.” Essentially, the GOS is what happens when teachers and students are just going through the motions of school so often that these motions really replace school.
I see some of the elements of the game of school in both my high school and middle school placements. Before, I did not really consider which students were really learning and which students were actually just playing the game. During my observations this week, students completed individual assignments on their computers while the teacher sat at the back of the room and monitored student use of the laptops as well as circulated to answer questions. Most questions were about how long an answer had to be. One student continually asked me to check if her answers were “good enough.” It seemed as though she was just regurgitating the information she learned in the TedTalk in a way catered to her teacher’s preferences. Even after I told her an answer looked fine she wanted to check with my CT to make sure, most likely because the CT would be grading the assignment. Although this student is an A student, she may not actually be learning important concepts. During my CT’s free period I visited an ecology class down the hall. I can honestly say that this class fully exemplified the GOS. The teacher’s management style was overly authoritative and she did not focus on student learning but instead constantly reminded students that they are terrible at following directions. Students seemed scared to ask for help and when they asked their peers for guidance, they were quickly reprimanded and separated. Unfortunately, this was a really oppressive and uncomfortable learning environment. On the other hand, my CT told me about a math teacher in the school that has really refined her teaching style to break away from the GOS. This teacher uses a flipped classroom to help students learn more effectively. Additionally, she reserves Fridays as personal research days. For the whole year, students use Friday class time to research any topic of interest to them. I do not know how (or even if) this is graded or what products are made, but I will be sure to ask my CT during my next visit. This encourages students to break free from the rituals they engage in in other classes.
I hope to break free from the GOS when I become a teacher and therefore must add another element to my teaching philosophy. Although I plan to be a great teacher, I need to make sure my students are taking the right measures to be great students. After all, only when both teams are putting in maximal effort can maximal learning and engagement can occur. To break free from the GOS, I must teach students that learning doesn’t only have to happen within the walls of a classroom. I will really have to go the extra mile to show my students how their learning in the classroom applies to so much more. Additionally, I will have to teach them that they do not need anyone’s permission to learn. They must make the effort to research whatever interests them. By encouraging these types of behaviors, I hope I can reduce the incidence of GOS behavior in my classroom.
In order to take action against the GOS, I will have to thoroughly plan all units and lessons. I feel that the structure of the NGSS promotes active learning and accountability. If I create lessons that emphasize the investigative nature of learning, students will realize that learning is much more fun than the GOS. I may even take a poll from students at the beginning of the year asking about how they have previously engaged in the GOS. This way, I can use the anonymous answers to cater my lessons to my students’ needs. By using my research about the growth mindset, motivation, and more, I can prepare myself to create fully engaging and meaningful lessons in school.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading about this so called Game of School. Although I knew it was prevalent, taking the time to think about it in the context of a classroom during real lessons showed me just how pervasive it is—especially at the high school level.
I see some of the elements of the game of school in both my high school and middle school placements. Before, I did not really consider which students were really learning and which students were actually just playing the game. During my observations this week, students completed individual assignments on their computers while the teacher sat at the back of the room and monitored student use of the laptops as well as circulated to answer questions. Most questions were about how long an answer had to be. One student continually asked me to check if her answers were “good enough.” It seemed as though she was just regurgitating the information she learned in the TedTalk in a way catered to her teacher’s preferences. Even after I told her an answer looked fine she wanted to check with my CT to make sure, most likely because the CT would be grading the assignment. Although this student is an A student, she may not actually be learning important concepts. During my CT’s free period I visited an ecology class down the hall. I can honestly say that this class fully exemplified the GOS. The teacher’s management style was overly authoritative and she did not focus on student learning but instead constantly reminded students that they are terrible at following directions. Students seemed scared to ask for help and when they asked their peers for guidance, they were quickly reprimanded and separated. Unfortunately, this was a really oppressive and uncomfortable learning environment. On the other hand, my CT told me about a math teacher in the school that has really refined her teaching style to break away from the GOS. This teacher uses a flipped classroom to help students learn more effectively. Additionally, she reserves Fridays as personal research days. For the whole year, students use Friday class time to research any topic of interest to them. I do not know how (or even if) this is graded or what products are made, but I will be sure to ask my CT during my next visit. This encourages students to break free from the rituals they engage in in other classes.
I hope to break free from the GOS when I become a teacher and therefore must add another element to my teaching philosophy. Although I plan to be a great teacher, I need to make sure my students are taking the right measures to be great students. After all, only when both teams are putting in maximal effort can maximal learning and engagement can occur. To break free from the GOS, I must teach students that learning doesn’t only have to happen within the walls of a classroom. I will really have to go the extra mile to show my students how their learning in the classroom applies to so much more. Additionally, I will have to teach them that they do not need anyone’s permission to learn. They must make the effort to research whatever interests them. By encouraging these types of behaviors, I hope I can reduce the incidence of GOS behavior in my classroom.
In order to take action against the GOS, I will have to thoroughly plan all units and lessons. I feel that the structure of the NGSS promotes active learning and accountability. If I create lessons that emphasize the investigative nature of learning, students will realize that learning is much more fun than the GOS. I may even take a poll from students at the beginning of the year asking about how they have previously engaged in the GOS. This way, I can use the anonymous answers to cater my lessons to my students’ needs. By using my research about the growth mindset, motivation, and more, I can prepare myself to create fully engaging and meaningful lessons in school.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading about this so called Game of School. Although I knew it was prevalent, taking the time to think about it in the context of a classroom during real lessons showed me just how pervasive it is—especially at the high school level.